


The Mother She Never Was

by Set_WingedWarrior



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I have a fame now I guess, I might change the title if I come up with something better, Mild Blood, Sorry Not Sorry, Yangst, because i can't write without them apparently, the bees are light but still there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 22:56:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20299303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_WingedWarrior/pseuds/Set_WingedWarrior
Summary: “What are you doing here?” the blonde asked in a mixture of surprise and anger.“Saving your life apparently.” She offered her daughter a hand to help her on her feet.Yang got up on her own “I don’t need your help!”-Raven tries for the first time to act like a mother.





	The Mother She Never Was

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank the [Angst Queen](https://twitter.com/Akumahomu) in person for the help! Thank you for everything from listening me freak out to the final feedback! it wouldn't have been as painful withouth you <3  
And of course thanks to my awesome lovely friend for the final editing as usual, you're the best buddy! 
> 
> Enjoy!

“No! How dare you!”

“Yang please, try to calm down-”

“DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!” the girl roared back at her father, her eyes red and hair shining from her semblance. That was the first time it got activated out of her rage alone in almost two years. “How could you, out of _everyone_, decide to forgive her and bring her here!?”

She knew that because of her mother’s semblance it was most likely the other way around, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that he let her.

Blake carefully walked beside her and took her hand. Yang’s flames almost instantly started to burn out under her gentle touch, but her eyes stayed a powerful crimson that could challenge the natural one of the woman in front of her.

Raven stayed still in an uncharacteristic discomfort, saying nothing and letting Taiyang do the talking “This is not about forgiveness, this is about strategy. Having the Spring Maiden on your side can only be helpful, and from what I know you could use all the help you can get.”

“I don’t want _her_ help!” only after the whole Team RWBY stood beside her did her eyes change back to normal. Her semblance might’ve been turned off, but her rage was still flaming.

Raven looked almost hurt by her daughter stubbornly not acknowledging her presence but she knew better than speak out about it. For Weiss, who had the ‘pleasure’ to meet and talk to her already, it felt foreign. That wasn’t the same woman she and Yang talked with at her tent; she didn’t know how to react, how to take it.

The discussion went back and forth for a while, Taiyang desperately trying to make Yang understand that having the Maiden could only be useful and her refusing every time.

No one in the group had the guts to say a word about it: Yang was already on thin ice with Ozpin, plus all of them saw Raven on the enemy’s side already, and weren’t too inclined to welcome her in either.

“Enough!” the older woman yelled, successfully silencing the two fighting blondes. She looked more like herself now, but there was still a layer of sorrow in her eyes “There’s no use insisting. It would only worsen things; I’m clearly not wanted.”

“Now you know how it feels like.” Yang whispered in venom. Raven just glared at her. Then she drew her sword, opened a portal and stepped in.

“Wait!” Taiyang yelled. He gave one last look behind to his daughters and their friends. Yang stood, stoic, ice in her eyes, as firm as a rock. The man sighed and went inside the portal before it closed.

After he left, Yang’s body language changed. She suddenly looked like her limbs were made of jelly, even her artificial one, slightly trembling. With her head down, eyes hidden by her golden locks, she stepped out of the room without saying a word.

An even more dense and awkward silence fell in the room. No one knew what was best to do now: Qrow was still shaken by that sudden encounter with his sister and best friend, and even Ruby, as much as a great leader she became, was at a loss of words.

“…I’ll talk to her.” Blake announced, breaking the silence, and went out of the door after her partner. If she had to be honest, she wasn’t really sure about what she’d say, or do, but she knew that Yang needed her now and she wouldn’t let her down.

Blake went to their shared room, taking a guess about where she’d gone. She guessed right; Yang was sitting on her bed, head leaning on her hands. “Hey” the brunette spoke softly, as if she was trying to get near a hurt animal and didn’t want to scare it away.

“Hey.” The answer came soon after. She didn’t kick her out, so it was working.

“Can I sit with you?” Blake tried. Yang nodded and that was all the confirmation the Faunus needed. As lightly and elegant as her heritage, Blake sat next to her partner. She waited for the blonde to start talking but when she didn’t Blake decided to try a more direct approach “Are you okay?”

“Absolutely, I’m _great_! What could ever make you ask that?” Yang’s sarcastic answer was soaked in venom and bitterness. Blake moved away a little bit, her head down as much as her cat ears, that were now pinned to her skull. Yang regretted her words immediately “I’m sorry” she apologized with soften eyes “It’s not you, and I shouldn’t let this out on you. It’s not fair.”

“It’s okay, I know.” Despite her words, her ears were still low. Yang noticed and boldly moved her hand to gently scratch them with the tip of her fingers. Blake instantly felt better. She would’ve argued that she wasn’t the one who should be comforted at the moment, but she knew how much her partner loved her cat ears. If petting them would’ve make Yang feel better than the Faunus would’ve most certainty be willing to let her.

It was a win-win situation.

Soon though, Blake stopped the hand on her head and took it in between her own. “Yang, talk to me. Please.”

The brawler sighed, but indulged on her request “What am I supposed to say? That seeing her again is emotionally shocking? That I can’t just let her in after she abandoned me **twice**?” she gradually raised her voice “After she willingly went on the enemy’s side and because of her Weiss almost DIED? That I feel betrayed by my own father!?!” by the end of her speech she was crying out loud.

Blake saw the tears in Yang’s eyes and pulled her in for a hug as soon as she noticed. The forced embrace made the girl broke down in her partner’s arms, tears fell and her hands gripped hard on her clothes as if she was the only thing keeping her from drowning in her own sorrow.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Blake whispered trying to give her some comfort but it didn’t work.

“No, it’s not! Why did she do that? Why is she back _now_? What does she want from me?” Yang cried even harder “Why do I still want her even if I**_ don’t_**?!?”

Blake didn’t know what to answer nor what to do to help her sort out those deep and conflicted feelings born from an even deeper wound. So, she did the only thing she knew: she held her close, whispering that she was there and would never leave her. Over and over again.

***

Taiyang jumped in just in time to reach his ex-wife. “What was that? We have to go back and convince her.”

“Don’t you get it?” she abruptly interrupted him “It’s useless! It doesn’t matter what we say, she’ll never accept me.”

“And so what? You’re just going to give up and run at the first obstacle? Right after you made up your mind and _swore to me_ that you’d be there for your daughter from now on? Since when you back down in front of a challenge?”

“Since always, and you know that better than anyone else!” she roared “But not this time.”

“Then what are you gonna do?”

“What I do best: observe from afar and act from the shadows. If it will be needed, I’ll intervene.” and without adding another word, or let Taiyang say one, she turned and flied away.

Taiyang sighed. “What do I have to do with them?”

***

That was bad. _Really_ bad.

Raven knew that another big fight would’ve occurred sooner or later but she didn’t expect it to be so soon, nor of such magnitude. And most importantly, she didn’t expect Cinder Fall to rise up from the dead into the enemy ranks, accompanied by none other than the weird mute girl who almost killed her daughter once already.

And with luck that could challenge her uncle’s, Yang found herself having to fight off both of them _simultaneously_.

“Shit.” Raven cursed under her breath. Yang was understandably struggling to even just defend herself (if she had to be honest, she was actually impressed by how she was doing considering everything), and all of her companions were too busy themselves to come to help.

Her partner tried to reach for her multiple times but was promptly stopped and got back to her own battle with her opponent each time.

Yang tried in vain to parry and counter another hit but ended up pushed to the ground instead. Cinder stood by, her big magic sword slowly taking form while she prepared to finish the girl for good.

It was now or never.

Raven sprinted out with all the speed and strength she had and dragged out her own magical weapon, using her powers to boost herself. A few second later there she was, standing in front of her daughter, her unsheathed weapon successfully parrying that fatal flow.

Cinder’s eye widened with a surprise that could be matched by the one in Yang’s eyes only. The pastel girl didn’t seem too impressed, amused at most.

Using that moment of surprise at her on advantage, Raven fired an attack and pushed the enemy away. Then she looked back at Yang.

“What are you doing here?” the blonde asked in a mixture of surprise and anger.

“Saving your life apparently.” She offered her daughter a hand to help her on her feet.

Yang got up on her own “I don’t need your help!”

“We don’t have time for this!” Yang looked down “Listen, I’ll take care of Cinder. I believe you can deal with Glass-Girl on your own this time?”

“Without the freaking Fall Maiden to back her up? Absolutely!” Both of them got in their fighting stances when laughter filled the air.

“How touching. Well, that’s something I’d never thought I’d see: you acting like a mother” Raven grunted “But you know what, that’s even better. It’ll make killing both of you more satisfying.”

Raven moved quickly and charged her with a direct attack, showing that the time for words was over. Yang followed the example and went against her own opponent.

Raven quickly fell in some sort of familiarity, clearly remembering their first fight, but something was off. She didn’t feel like herself.

A pained moan reached her hears and Raven immediately turned her head to Yang’s match. The moment she caught herself doing that she immediately went back to her own fight, parrying a swing pointed to her face just in time.

_What was that? _

She asked herself, but shook it off to focus on her fight.

_Nevermind. _

She went back to her pace, finally fighting at her best normal self, when a particularly pained moan got her attention. She turned around, and almost got impaled because of it.

The situation was becoming unbearable, a foreign yet familiar feeling was growing inside her and it was almost costing her life.

It felt off, and confusing. She couldn’t figure out what that was, she just knew she was too distracted and that was _unacceptable_! She couldn’t afford it in such a crucial moment!

_What’s going on!?!_

Only after her distraction payed her off with a fist right at her face she finally understood: that feeling was _worry_.

She was worried for Yang, so much that she couldn’t even think of herself.

She wasn’t fighting for her own life; she was fighting for _hers_ instead.

No wonders she was having such a harder time in comparison to Haven.

Cinder was quick to pick up on that and didn’t hesitate to use it at her own advantage. After the umpteenth distraction and consequent hit awards, she laughed. “You’ve gone soft.”

The worst thing was that she was right. It has been a long time since the last time she cared about someone else more than herself. That meant big troubles and she knew it; but she made her choice and she wouldn’t back down now.

_Not this time. _

Without even answering her, Raven let out a war cry and attacked with all the rage, hatred and regret she had in her.

But it wasn’t enough.

Cinder easily parried the hit and landed a counterattack right away, leaving Raven’s guard open and no time to protect herself. Cinder immediately took the chance and after one last powerful attack she managed to break her aura.

Raven unceremoniously fell to the ground. For a moment she thought she heard Yang gasp her name but she wasn’t sure if it was real or just her imagination messing with her.

Cinder proudly stood above her; she had her exactly where she wanted. She reached out her Grimm hand and closed Raven’s neck in a death grip.

“Well, that sure feels familiar, doesn’t it?” the Fall Maiden smiled viciously. The bandit leader didn’t look so tough anymore but still held her gaze “But this time things will go very differently. Here’s what is going to happen: I will steal your powers and get my revenge. And, differently from you, I’ll get sure that you’re actually **dead**” she mocked her “…but not before killing your daughter right in front of your eyes. What do you think?” Cinder’s arm lightened, slowly starting to steal the Maiden’s power.

Raven’s eyes widened in fear, but not for herself: for Yang. Cinder laughed even harder at her display of maternal love “You really did soften; that’s going to be your downfall.” Her sick smile showed again “I’m going to enjoy this.”

But Raven wasn’t done. Not when her daughter’s life was on the line, not when she _swore_ she would’ve done anything to protect it. Weakly, she brought her hands at her waist and dragged out her actual weapon.

What at first was a puzzled look on Cinder’s face, suddenly turned back to mock and laughter “What do you plan to do now? Finish me off with your pathetic sword?” but what she saw next really put her off.

Raven burst out laughing. Almost maniacally, at the verge of tears, as if she just heard the greatest joke in the world. The sound was so weird, so wrong (especially in that circumstances) that even Neo and Yang momently stopped their fight to look at them with confusion.

Yang couldn’t help the grip on her heart and wave of worry that swept over her at the sight. She hated herself for that.

Raven locked her eyes with hers behind Cinder, giving her a small apologetic smile. It was the most honest and genuine expression Yang ever saw the woman wear; and it scared her shitless.

_I’m sorry_

Raven mouthed, before looking back at Cinder with a challenging grin “You want my power?” the grip on her weapon tightened while she pointed it at herself “Try and get it!” and before anyone could do anything, under the horrified gaze of both Cinder and Yang (even though for completely different reasons), the blade sank in her own flesh.

Cinder screamed in fury, trying to get the power out of the dying woman, but it was too late. Crimson blood spilled around after Raven’s lifeless body dropped to the ground.  
Yang stared numbly at the scene, watching a mother disappear for the fourth and surely last time from her life.

She didn’t understand. Why? Was that her last desperate way to run from that war? From her? Why did she bother to come back and fight then? For _her_?

It wasn’t the time to ask herself such questions, and Yang wasn’t in condition to answer anyway. One hit (coming from Cinder) brought her back to reality, lighting up her senses and her rage.

Flames surrounded her, most powerful than ever, her eyes of fire looked back down at her enemies and with a pained scream she leaped against them, fueled by fury.

It was the shortest and easiest battle she ever had, and yet the heaviest and most painful she ever fought.

***

The battlefield was now deserted, enemies either defeated or ran away. But there was no euphoria in the air, no one celebrating their victory as one unexpected comrade that day fell.

Yang fell on her knees beside the woman she never had the chance to call her mother, the only chance she got she threw away. But despite the pain she couldn’t bring herself to regret it, and that only brought more conflicted feelings inside the blonde.

Qrow fell on the ground too, on the opposite side. His flask hit the ground, making its content mix up with the now dried blood. It would’ve made sense for him to be the one screaming crying and yelling at the odds, and yet it was Yang who was mercilessly hitting the ground screaming her heart’s despair.

It was her father who lost his first love a second time (gods only knew how he’d take it this time), and yet it was Yang who was mourning the mother she never had.

It was funny, really. So funny that for a moment her cries turned into a laugh. That woman left her multiple times, this time forever, and still managed to hurt her from the dead!

_What a bitch. _

How dare she magically coming back to save her, just to disappear again with a bang? Gifting her with the Maiden’s power, first and last present she’d ever get from her aside pain and sorrow?

Yang gripped hard on Raven’s vest, getting her up face to face “Why did you do it? What were you thinking!?!” she demanded but got no answers, only a dead body.

Yang cried and screamed harder, hoping her voice could somehow reach her in the afterlife and guilt her. Then she held her, cradling the way Raven should’ve done with her when she was a baby. Maybe it even happened once.

It wasn’t a helpful thought at the moment.

All of that was as much pathetic as it was needed.

Everybody stayed quiet, in silent respect, while Yang Xiao Long mourned for the last and final time the mother she never had.

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say. Apparently I've got an angsty fame, so I couldn't just let down my fans now, could I? 
> 
> Fun Fact: that wasn't supposed to be the ending. The first one I had in mind (and even wrote actually) was supposed to be a parallel of the scene where Blake comforts Yang after meeting Raven at the start, with Blake comforting Yang once again and helping her sort out her grief and conficted feelings. But it turned out too long and complicated for the effect I wanted, and I'm really happy with my final choice!  
I do have it written tho, so I'm considering to fix/edit it and maybe add it as a second chapter/epilogue. I don't know, tell me what you think in a comment maybe ;) 
> 
> And if you want to yell at me, here's my [Tumblr](http://set-wingedwarrior.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/set_wingedtrash/)! You're welcome to come by to say hi, ask me questions or insult and punch me in the face, whatever you prefer! You could also just follow me to be updated about my next works, just saying ;) 
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! See you all next time!


End file.
